In sports settings, you have very specific things to photograph in very little time. Whether you want to shoot your own water skiing adventures or snap photos of friends during a road race, here are your best options to freeze those competitive moments.

For Adventurers
Extreme sport lovers need a camera that can keep up with their lifestyles. A wearable camera can stay out of the way, yet capture images and footage of your thrill-seeking adventures. Multiple attachments are available to suit a variety of shooting needs and sports, including helmet, chest, bicycle, and wrist strap mounts as well as water resistant housings. Most models can record 1080p HD video, so you’ll be able to revisit the action with professional quality footage and images.

For Faraway Action
Pairing your DSLR or compact system camera with a telephoto lens will bring distant subjects close within your view. So, if you’re sitting several rows back at your son’s football game, you can easily snap clear, up-close shots that look like they were taken from the sideline. Telephoto lenses offer different focal length ranges, but it’s likely that a lens that’s at least 70mm will be sufficient for your photography of distant subjects.

For Spectators
It’s not convenient to carry a large camcorder to a sporting event, especially if you need to squeeze into a crowded stand. An alternative is an ultra-portable shoot-and-share camcorder you can slip into a purse or coat pocket and pull out to record footage of your child’s soccer game or karate match. Most shoot and share camcorders can capture 1080p HD video and feature other useful technologies such as digital image stabilization and auto focus.